Clever Or Stupid?
Image Credit: Speaker Cameron Sexton / Facebook & Canva.
Note from The Tennessee Conservative: Editorial statements in this column are the sole opinion of the author; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff of this publication.
Submitted by Kat Stansell (Independent Journalist and Earnest Patriot) –
You decide. Here it is, on thick shiny card stock. I found it in my mail box last week. I live in Sexton’s District.
This past week, Cameron Sexton, current Speaker of the TN House, and the 26th district’s Republican candidate this year, tried to be cute with a campaign mailer, but missed on TWO marks.
In attempting to tie his opposition, the Democrat candidate, Monica Mowdy, to the Democrat Socialists and their beliefs (seen on all those moving boxes), his campaign lost an pricey opportunity to put HIS name in front of the voters. THAT is what mailers are meant to do. This one just confused everyone who saw it. Was it from Cameron or the Commies?
I understand that Sexton and his team thought it was clever. But in their lightheartedness, they screwed up, big time.
This mailer broke Federal election law. More on that in a minute.
In small print, the mailer was said to be paid for the the TN Republican Party, Shannon Haynes, Treasurer. This is required by election law.
I spoke to Ms. Haynes and she knew nothing about it. Neither she nor Mr. Sexton has had the courtesy to return calls and emails about this push in the closing days of the campaign. I am a constituent, so I don’t count (until I VOTE), and most of us know that – which is a sad truth about many of our elected “representatives”. If we made more noise, got directly involved in every part of every state, this would change.
But, back to this odd story.
At best this mailer is an unusual shot at an opponent. BUT IT ALSO BREAKS FEDERAL CAMPAIGN LAW, as the mailer was put in private mail boxes WITHOUT BEARING the special logo of the USPS, FOR OFFICIAL ELECTION MAIL.
The Official Election Mail logo is a unique, registered trademark designed exclusively for inclusion in the design of Official Election Mail.
PUTTING THINGS IN A MAILBOX WITHOUT THIS OFFICIAL LOGO IS A FEDERAL CRIME.
Does the USPS in Crossville bear responsibility for distributing this? I know that they couldn’t deliver overnight or even 2-day mail in-state, a week or so ago, because of a “sudden request for several area PO’s to do something that would make promised delivery dates impossible to meet. Everyone at a walk-up window looked uncomfortable about this. Could it have been this mailer? What or who was “big enough” that the PO had to deny its customers?
At least they were honest. Who really knows who or what ties up the US mail so much that it has to break its legal promises to users? Politicians are a good guess…
The federal law says that the”Official Election Mail logo should be used on any mailpiece created by, or on behalf of, an election official that is mailed to or from a citizen of the United States for the purpose of participating in the voting process,” says the law. “ The logo should be used on qualifying mailpieces in all classes of mail and all processing categories.”
Cameron Sexton’s mailer did NOT CONTAIN THE LOGO ABOVE. Was his just campaign sloppy or uncaring?
I am a Constitutional Conservative (formerly “Republican”) and will vote for Mr. Sexton. He has his limitations, but he is NOT a Communist, so he has my vote. Sad choice, but our best, at this moment in time.
Why Cameron Sexton’s campaign would have done this, we can only guess. Bad sense of humor; thinking his constituents might not know about the DSA ( which I think is an insult from Sexton to his voters) or just not thinking.
Whatever, please vote in these midterms, and choose our Constitution over Communism. Our political process bears watching 24/7. And, THAT’S our job.
I know this isn’t of great interest nationwide, but it does show what can go on, even in one of those “good red states”.
